Anytime a player gets that little asterisk signifying a disabled list stint next to his name this late in the season, fantasy owners must consider the risks versus the rewards of keeping the player or looking elsewhere. With awesome Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who was placed on the seven-day DL on Tuesday with concussion symptoms, there's no question this is a guy worth keeping around. Mauer isn't expected to be out any longer than the minimum DL stay required, which in this case is a week, and I doubt anyone needs a reminder about how good the guy is. He's hitting .324, and if it wasn't for the amazing Miguel Cabrera, yet another batting title would be a realistic possibility.

There's a long-held theory that catchers are poor trade targets in fantasy leagues the later it gets in a season because they tend to get tired and wear down more than regular position players. Frankly, most players wear down, regardless of position, but as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey proved a year ago, catchers can retain their value as the season progresses, and perhaps even gain value. Mauer is a strong example. His career batting line shows a .324 batting average and .877 OPS before the All-Star break, and a .322 average and an .869 OPS after it. And his September numbers also show no drop-off.